Leafpools wish
Leafpool yawned and gently blinked the sleep out of her eyes, she looked around quickly realising she was in the medicine den. She quietly stretched out, remembering how she'd fallen asleep after checking Briarlight then gently settling into the soft moss den kept for injured and sick clan members. Leafpool stood slowly, careful not to wake Jayfeather or Alderpaw as she slunk out of the den. The darkness of moonhigh made Leafpool long for the gentle night breeze pushing softly against her fur, she remembered how free she felt as the wind whistled through the trees behind her, she remembered the gleam of sunrise over the moors, she remembered the harsh blue eyes full of love, she remembered the dark grey fur and comforting body heat of her companion. "Stop it Leafpool, you can't betray your clan again. You are a medicine cat, he's a Wind Clan warrior. He has a mate for goodness sake!" She hissed to herself. "I'll just go for a walk to calm myself." She mumbled, leaving Thunder Clan camp and wandering through the forest. Leafpool's claws dug gently into the grass on the Thunder Clan side of the border between Wind Clan, she silently cursed herself when she realised where she'd walked to. Leafpool turned her head up high, about to stalk off when she heard the snap of a twig on the other side of the border, she quickly ducked down into the short grass and pricked up her ears. She watched as a tall, dark cat climbed a small rock near the border and began to gaze at the moon, looking at their face she felt a sudden stab of surprise and gasped quietly. The other cat quickly flicked their gaze to scan the grass where she hid, "Hello?" The cat, now recognisable as a tom asked in an angry and unfriendly tone. Leafpool cowered into the grass, she slowly took a step back before falling into a small puddle, the sudden splash of water shocked her and she streaked forward, almost falling into the river border. "Leafpool?" The tom asked in a surprisingly gentle and sombre tone, Leafpool straightened herself and regained her composure before replying. "Crowfeather." She nodded, trying to hide the longing she felt to run over and nuzzle him. Crowfeather shifted uncomfortably, "Don't cross the border." He said defensively, Leafpool's eyes flashed with confusion and annoyance. "I wasn't planning on it." She replied in an angry tone, flicking her tail with annoyance. "How are the kits?" He asked in a questioning tone, she looked at him coldly. "They may be of your blood but they are in no way your kits." She said defensively, making him flatten his ears slightly with the intensity of her answer. "I'm sorry Leafpool, you chose your Clan, I had to take a mate to prove my loyalty." He replied in an ashamed and small voice. Leafpool's face suddenly softened, she took a slight step towards the tom before coming to her senses and looking into his bright blue eyes. "I didn't have a choice, I wanted to chose you." She said softly, feeling a need to be near him. Suddenly Crowfeather jumped from the rock on which he stood, moving to a position directly opposite Leafpool and looking into her glowing amber eyes. " Look, the reason I came here tonight was to see you, I have no idea how I knew you'd be here." His eyes widened with realisation, "Star Clan must have told us both!" He exclaimed, excitement evident on his face. Leafpool smirked, " I really missed you Crowfeather." She took a slight step forward, pebbles falling into the slow flowing river between them as she did so. Crowfeather got into the hunting crouch and sprang over the border, using his long dark legs to propel him, the pair met with a ferocious force, rubbing their heads against the others and being the mates that they had always longed to be. "I'm so sorrry I left you, I wanted to stay but my Clan mates needed me..." Leafpool began before being cut off by the tom watching her and chuckling slightly, "What?" She asked moving slightly away from him. "I just find it funny the way you feel like you need to apologise, we hurt each other. You left me but I left you with three kits and took a mate, I never wanted to leave you, my Clan needed me too but not anymore." He meowed gently to her, looking down at her just like he used to. "What do you mean they don't need you? Of course they do!" Leafpool mewed with confusion, Crowfeather simply shook his head. "I took a mate, I provided kits, now a younger warrior will take my place. My place now, as it always will be is with you." He promised, pressing his nose against hers. Leafpool slowly smiled, looking deep into his eyes, she then broke apart from him and walked to a small secluded area covered in bushes where only the light of the moon light their paths. She sat down and faced the moon, Crowfeather sat down right beside her, their sides touched and tails entwined. Leafpool slowly rested her head on Crowfeather's shoulder as he looked down at her with an emotion which can only described as a mixture of love, lust, happiness and pride. Moons later, Leafpool lay in the nursery. "I can't believe I'm having kits again." She thought, "Only this time, they'll know their true parents." She smiled as Crowfeather walked into the Thunder Clan nursery carrying a large mouse, "She can get food for herself." Daisy pointed out as she watched the tom set the mouse down at Leafpool's paws. "I want to do it right this time." Crowfeather admitted staring Daisy straight in the eye. The Queen quickly lowered her head and flattened her ears, realising her mistake. "I can't wait for these kits." Leafpool meowed, changing the subject. Crowfeather smiled at his mate, "They'll be wonderful." He gently licked Leafpool's muzzle as she began to purr before his ears perked up at a call of his name for a patrol. "I have to go patrol now, I'll be back as soon as I can I promise." Leafpool smiled, "I'm so glad the Clan has accepted you so quickly." She purred as he left. Leafpool's head fell exhausted as the last kit left her body, she panted with exhaustion as the encouraging words of Daisy and Lilyheart we drowned out by a final spasm of pain. "Jayfeather, get Jayfeather!" A cat shouted, "She's losing too much blood!" Leafpool felt the press of small bodies against her stomach and the pressure of her muzzle being licked as well as the scent of Crowfeather, "No, please don't leave me now." He begged, "Step away." The harsh order was distorted but the quiet chatter Leafpool heard inside her head, she recognised voices like Yellowfang and Firestar. She moaned with panic, "Don't let me die." She tried to say but it only came out as a panicked breath. The world turned black as Leafpool closed her eyes and was dead to the world. Leafpool stood in a sunny forest surrounded by familiar cats, Yellowfang, Cinderpelt and Firestar walked to greet her. "No, no please don't let me be dead." She begged looking desperately from face to face hoping for the answer she yearned for. "Leafpool, no you are not dead. We must tell you that for what you've done, breaking the warrior code twice like this will lead to you no longer being allowed by StarClan to be a medicine cat." Cinderpelt replied, Leafpool felt a sea of relief wash over her, "Thank StarClan." She exclaimed, looking at the shocked faces she searched for an apology, " No, I am deeply sorry to have done this, but the love I feel for Crowfeather cannot be hidden or replaced, ThunderClan has enough medicine cats anyway." She mewed, surprising herself with the unforgivingness of her reply. The disappointment on the dead cat's faces slowly faded to black, Leafpool slowly opened her eyes, she awoke in the nursery with Crowfeather by her side, "Leafpool? Oh Leafpool I thought you'd died. I'm so glad you're ok!" He exclaimed, ferociously licking her head until the mew of small voiced distracted him. "Our kits!" Leafpool exclaimed, looking around for them, "Crowfeather looked over to Lilyheart sadly, "I need to tell you something about the kits... there's something wrong." He explained before padding over to the Queen's nest and carrying over the kits one by one, the first kit a smokey grey tom just like his father, the second a dark grey tabby she-cat, the third a black tom with a white muzzle and the fourth a light brown tabby tom. The last kit was different however, "He's missing a leg!" Leafpool exclaimed sadly as she watched her kits. "At least he's alive." Crowfeather shrugged watching the kit stuggling against his littermates to feed. "Really? From this moment on his life path has already been chosen. Three legged warriors aren't allowed, this kit will be our next medicine cat without a doubt." She said sadly as she licked his pelt clean. Crowfeather rested his head atop his mate's, "He has us and his littlermates to protect him, what's the worst that can happen?"